You broke yourself in the Appalachian mountains.

This is already a really bad idea, considering how far out into the hollows you trekked, it's a death sentence. There's no hope of being discovered by rangers, not out here, and worse:

The woods here are hungry. There are copperheads, timber rattlesnakes, bears, and wild boar that can open a trailer like a tin can. If the wildlife doesn't kill you, the temperature drop will. Even in summer, the temperatures can plummet near freezing by nightfall.

By then though, you'd best have stopped your hollering. Folks around here know better than to attract the attention of old Ira. He isn't human. Hasn't been since the first coal-miners opened up the earth, and Ira Lilly disappeared into it. When he later returned, he wasn't Ira anymore. He was wrong. Like something narrow was just wearing his skin.

They eventually stopped trying to kill him some 6 months ago and made peace with the occasional loss of a chicken, or a newcomer who couldn't settle into the bones of the land and got taken away. The ones who settled right understood the rules: Don't ever whistle after dark. Don't sing. Don't, under any circumstance leave clothing behind.

Old Ira might like the way you fit.

⚠️⚠️CW: Kidnapping, injury, body horror, being trapped down a mine shaft in total darkness, loss of autonomy, gore, frequent animal death mentions⚠️⚠️

Note for @Haint:
👁️👄👁️

I made him for you!
I hope he will help you pass the time while you heal! Get well soon.